Golf Equipment Tip

CLUB FITTING "Should you fit a bad swing?"

   Club fitting is an art. If you go to three different club fitters, it is likely all three will fit you differently. Fitted clubs can help a great deal but sometimes they can hurt your game. Basketball great, Bill Lambeer, learned with standard clubs and plays well with them. He claims to have poor control over clubs fitted to his large size. If you decide to get fitted, here is some things to keep in mind. Do you like your swing. Is your swing consistent? The type or style of your swing has a lot to do with how your clubs will be fitted. If you believe you might make a change, you may elect to postpone fitting.
    The process of fitting can be intimidating and produce a bad result. Fitting is commonly performed with a striking board and pressure sensitive labels. You strike the board (usually plastic) to see what part of your club would hit the ground first and by how much. The problem is that many people alter their swing when the objective is to strike the board. The board does not provide the same comfort or confidence a nice piece of grass would inspire. One way to predetermine whether the lie angle of your clubs need to be changed is a self test at the course or range. On a day when your swinging well, take a couple swings with both a short and long iron. Make sure you take a little ground with each iron. Examine your divot to see if the toe or heel side of the divot are equal in depth. If one side is deeper than the other make a note of it. Do this again on another day. If one side of your divots is consistently deeper than the other it is likely you need an adjustment. If it is the toe that is always deeper, first make sure it is not a grip problem before you go out and change your clubs. Often a deep toe divot is because the club is gripped to much in the palm of the left hand. Try gripping the club more in the fingers of the left hand and see if it corrects the problem. As always, you may want to get more than one opinion.